Map of suiseki collection in VietNam

Map of suiseki collection in VietNam.

Starting from Ho Chi Minh city to get National highway 1A and forward Bien Hoa city, a city of Dong Nai province, at Dau Day (Dau Giay – 65km from HCMC.) juntion, turn left to National highway 20 to B’ Lao city, Di Linh town, Đuc Trong district, and Da Lat city. B’ Lao is the first place where we collected silky skin basalt (fine-grained), the best of texture, we can search these in Dai Binh river (pic.1).

Pic. 1 : Đai Binh river in Loc Son District, Lam Dong province

Driving along the road you have to find the ways to go down the river, the best vehicle is motorbike to across coffee-fields. There are many kind of stone meet suiseki requirement but a special stone which is basalt. Basalt is the dark, heavy volcanic rock that makes up most of the world’s oceanic crust. Some of it erupts on land, too, but to a first approximation basalt is an oceanic rock. And the most special one is silky skin stone, fine grainted basalt (pic. 2).

Pic. 2 : Representative sample in Dai Binh river, Lam Dong province. Silk-skin basalt.

Starting from Da Lat city, the best of beautiful city in Viet Nam, mist covers the adjoining valleys almost year round, the average temperature is 18°C – 25°C. Driving on provincial highway 723 across Dong Mang, Dơ T’Bo and then provincial highway 652 to destination is Suoi Cat river of Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa province, the second place for your suiseki collecting.

Driving along the road you have to find the way to go down the river, the best vehicle is motorbike to across sugar-cane fields.

Pic. 3 : Song Cai river in Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Hoa province

Pic. 4 : My suiseki collected in Khanh Vinh District, Khanh Hoa province

Searching around 10m2 , you can find many kind of stones such as basalt, xenolith, granite, gniess, almost basalt is black or grey. There are many kind of stone meet suiseki requirement that is fine grained stones such as Dunite, Basalt, Spilite, Phyllite but a special one is vesiculated basalt, pear’s skin stone (pic.5).

From Duc Trong, Lam Dong province, driving to National highway 27 in Ban Me Thuot direction, at the Tan Lap – Tan Hoa junction, turn right National highway 26 to Phuoc An town, at Krong Búk, you can search EaMuich stream, What almost you can see is vesiculated basalt too.

Pic. 5 : Representative sample in Khanh Vinh district, Khanh Hoa. Pear’s skin basalt

In addition, Vietnamese collectors also love surface pattern stones. You can see many kind of stones but a special stone is gniess, folded gniess, migmatite…etc in dictrict of Nam Giang, Đông Giang, Hiep Duc, Song Vang, Tra My. If you want to get there you should start from Da Nang city or Hoi An city. Hoi An city is a Ancient town – a UNESCO World heritage site. Remenber buy a walking tour of Hoi An.

Starting from Da Nang, about 4:30 AM, you could ride a motorbike on national highway 14B to get to destination of Thanh My around 6:00AM. Having a breakfast and then go to the rivers behind the local market for your collection (Pic.6).

Gniess is the most favourite of surface pattern stones in Viet Nam. Many quartz-veins in a stone create water-colour paintings. Weather by wind, sand and water made stones in shaped like a circle or a ball (Pic.7).

Pic. 6 : Collection area behind of the local market in Thanh My district, Quang Nam

Pic. 7 : A sample of surface pattern stones in Quang Nam province

Pic. 8 : My suiseki collected in Quang Nam province

Nearly ancient town Hoi An, about 18km,in the mountain named Duy Trung in Duy Trung district, Quang Nam province. There is a kind of green color stone but they are covered black-skin or dark yellow color by mineral and dead leaves in water, Duy Trung stones were found out in a vein of the mountain top. The local inhabitants named them is Duy Trung stone.

From Hoi An to get there, you could ride a motorbike on national highway 1A to Nam Phuoc junction, turn right to Duy xuyen district, in the DuyTrung junction turn left 5km to get to Duy Trung mountain top (Pic.9). Their shapes formed by breaking into pieces stone and wearing their edges out by weather.

Pic. 9 : A green color stone on Duy Trung mountain in Duy Trung district, QuangNam

Note: In a river or a stream, you can find many ways to get down the river so you can find many kind of stones and many chances to collect a beautiful stones. The more trips the more beautiful stones.

Pic. 10 : My suisekis in my office, Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam

These pictures are from my trips. In case, anyone who would like to visit Viet Nam for stone collection, do not hesitate to contact me by email hiep@tamhiep.vn for more information. I and many friends of mine who live in above areas are ready to arrange, travel with and help you in your trips.

Ninh Huu Hiep